Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Summit on Sustainable Development
The international community's approach to biodiversity has changed over the past 10 years. Biological diversity is now considered as an essential part of efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development. Conservation and development are no longer seen as conflicting goals but as mutually interdependent. This change has been in large part due to the process of international consensus-building instituted under the Convention and its inherent strengths of near universal membership, a comprehensive and science-driven mandate, international financial support for national projects, world-class scientific and technological advice, and the political involvement of governments. By bringing together, for the first time, people with very different interests, the process initiated under the Convention offers hope for the future by forging a new deal between Governments, economic interests, environmentalists, indigenous peoples and local communities, and the concerned citizen.
Countries have become more aware of the complex issue of biodiversity loss and through the Convention, the necessary institutional mechanisms have been put in place to address it. More than 100 countries have developed a national biodiversity strategy and action plan, the fundamental tool for the implementation of the Convention at the national level.
The Convention's most important contributions to the implementation of Agenda 21 and to the basic objective of the
World Summit, include:
- Benefit-sharing of the utilization of genetic resources
The adoption of the Bonn Guidelines on access to genetic resources and sharing of the benefits of their utilization constitutes a major step forward in the implementation of the third objective of the Convention and of particular concern to developing countries, which are the host to most of the world's genetic resources. Guidelines on this issue were adopted by the Conference of the Parties in April 2002. They were developed in response to concerns in many developing countries that the commercial and scientific gains realized from their genetic resources were being reaped mainly by the industrialized world. The Guidelines aim at improving the way researchers, collectors, foreign companies and other users gain access to valuable genetic resources in return for sharing the benefits with the countries of origin. At the same time, they guide Governments on ways to set fair and practical conditions for users seeking genetic resources, who, in return, must offer benefits derived from their use, in the form of profits, royalties, scientific collaboration, or training. Once again, a capacity-building programme will be undertaken to ensure that the developing countries are in position to realize the full benefits of these arrangements.
- Biosafety
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety establishes mechanisms likely to make an important and concrete contribution to technology transfer, and provides an opportunity for developing countries to gain access to information and technology that will enable them to participate in this industry. It also represents a significant advance in international environmental law, as its procedures constitute the most detailed elaboration of the precautionary approach so far. The Protocol, which will enter into force as soon as 50 countries have ratified it, establishes a system of information exchange on living modified organisms that will allow countries to make informed choices on whether or not to permit their import into their territory. This system is backed up by a capacity-building initiative that is already under way and is aimed at ensuring that countries, particularly those in the developing world, have the means to access and analyze the information they receive and to fully assess the potential risks or otherwise of the living modified organisms concerned.
- Technology transfer
Work is being initiated to prepare for the introduction of technology transfer as an item for in-depth consideration at the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties, in 2004, providing an additional opportunity for the developing countries to pursue concrete actions in this field, in connection with genetic resources and biotechnology or otherwise.
- Traditional knowledge
The Convention provides a unique opportunity to ensure respect for, maintenance, protection and promotion of traditional knowledge relating to biological diversity in the region, through intellectual property rights or sui generis systems.
- Financial resources for sustainable development
Through the Financial Mechanism of the Convention operated by the Global Environment Facility, the Convention is the single largest source of funding for biodiversity conservation in the world. Over the past nine years, it has invested approximately $1.2 billion and leveraged another 2 billion to fund projects in developing countries.
- Thematic programmes and cross-cutting issues
A large number of work programmes have been adopted with respect to the various ecosystems and new concepts have been developed to meet the needs of the developing countries, with a focus on capacity-building. In developing or reviewing these programmes, the three basic objectives of the Convention are addressed in an integrated manner, which makes it possible to address many WSSD goals in the priority areas for sustainable development singled out by the UN Secretary General.
The threefold objective of conservation, sustainable use and sharing of benefits is a challenging goal for the CBD parties. How are they going to implement the obligations of the Convention so as to achieve these objectives in a consolidated and coherent way? Already at
the first meeting of SBSTTA (Paris, 1995) the concept of "
ecosystem approach" was recommended as an appropriate implementation strategy for the Convention follow-up. This approach was later recommended as a way forward when the COP made decisions on the biome-thematic work programmes. It was not, however, until 1998 that the various dimensions of the approach were more clearly developed and laid down as principles of the ecosystem approach and the "Malawi principles" were born. These principles, although slightly modified, have been endorsed by the COP in
decision V/6 from Nairobi, and has been recommended to the Parties for application when implementing the convention and its articles.
The 12 principles of the ecosystem approach as described in decision V/6, are not cast in stone. They are reflecting the present level of common understanding of this integrated way of thinking for implementation of CBD, and are to be up for evaluation, revisions and improvements as the Parties gain experience from its application; further research shows that changes are necessary and recommendable.
As demonstrated and laid out in the various principles of the ecosystem approach, there are a number of dimensions to management of nature that ought to be taken into account to ensure the most effective implementation of the CBD in the long-term perspective. The rationale for bringing these dimensions/principles into nature management related to biodiversity has been included in the
decision V/6. There is also a clear understanding of the need for flexibility and adaption to local conditions and the relevant challenges at hand when applying the various principles. The ecosystem approach is general and meant for larger geographical areas, often with complex sosiocultural conditions and relationships between nature and people. It is not meant to be applied for special areas that need to be adressed for protection or restoration of biodiversity or some other specific purpose. The matter of geographical scale is here very important, and this, together with the temporal scale, has been considered to be basic factors to be taken into account in decision-making, and is formulated into a separate principle of the ecosystem approach itself.
The ecosystem approach, in principle 4, establishes the importance of including the socio-economic dimensions of nature management when implementing the CBD. Human life, activities and well-being must be included as basic factors in the wider geographical application of the ecosystem approach. Biodiversity has to be integrated into the economy of the relevant communities, and the various values of biodiversity should be captured and realized at the local level to give the right incentives to those that are nearest to guard it. This socio-economic dimension is also a reflection of the obligation of the Parties to CBD to integrate biodiversity concerns into the activities and responsibilities of the economic sectors, as laid out in
article 6 of the Convention.
Biodiversity, however, has also values beyond the short-term consumption, extraction and direct use value. Biodiversity is the life insurance of life itself. The intraspecific diversity is the insurance for the species survival in difficult times, the interspecific diversity is the guarantee for ecosystem functioning and services, and the variation of functional ecosystems is the life insurance for sustainable development. This should be a fundamental understanding of any approach to the long-term conservation and use of biodiversity.
NOTE: The Hague Ministerial Declaration of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted at the
sixth Conference of the Parties (The Hague, The Netherlands, 7-19 April 2002), contains a clear political signal that the achievement of the objectives of the Convention is a prerequisite for sustainable development; there is a need for a renewed commitment to the Convention as an effective global mechanism that can consolidate and strengthen efforts being undertaken through the numerous regional and international biodiversity related agreements and programmes.
A mechanism that:
- Can clarify and define the role and importance of biodiversity in the wider context of socio-economic development, in particular in global trade, agriculture, development and poverty alleviation;
- Can define a common international agenda based on sound priority setting and can address important and emerging issues;
- Can set well-defined international goals and targets;
- Can harness the efforts under all related agreements and programs in the implementation of the common international agenda, goals and targets;
- Can foster partnership and linkages between not only biodiversity related agreements but also between them and other related regimes.
Another challenge is how to ensure that global trade, agriculture and development assistance, and environment policies are mutually supportive. With regard to trade, there is a need to establish an enabling political environment for addressing issues at the interface of trade and biological diversity in relevant forums in a more concrete manner. These issues include the patentability of life forms; the protection of the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities associated with genetic resources; continued access to genetic resources and unlawful appropriation of genetic resources; the interplay between the Biosafety Protocol's precautionary approach; the packaging, labelling and identification provisions of the Protocol and the WTO Agreements.
Last but not least, another question is how to facilitate coordinated implementation at the national level through increased capacity-building efforts, integrating biodiversity into other sectors and the provision of adequate resources for this purpose.
At this point in time all evidence indicates that the loss of biological is continuing. The next years will be key to the success of the Convention; the Johannesburg Summit will be crucial for reaffirming that biological diversity is an essential underpinning of sustainable development and that the process launched by the Convention is the best and surest means of halting, in a fair and equitable manner, the erosion of that foundation.
CBD Publications
Synergies with the Rio Conventions UNFCCC and UNCCD
Collaboration among treaties with similar goals can greatly contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has developed inter-agency cooperation and synergies with a wide range of organizations participating in all programs and fields of activities, whether scientific, social or economic, has given a new meaning to international cooperation in the region and holds promise for continued support. Special synergies exist between the CBD and the two other Conventions adopted at Rio de Janeiro: UNFCCC and UNCCD (see
joint brochure).
SCBD's Presence at WSSD
SCBD was present during the Summit at two sites:
